Life is just too short to not be doing what you love and what you want!!!
It cant all be just about a paycheque
Think strategy and Thats It!

Just do it!

You kiss your kid/tween/teen in the morning and let them go off to school, while you make your way to your day, and you sometimes dont hear from them till that valuable dinnertime hour where you can sit and discuss each others' day.  Fact is though, that most kids dont tell their parents alot of what went on at school that day.  They may give you the good stuff (ex. a good grade) or something, but how do you know what they've been up to all day???

To give you a little insight, parents, the single biggest thing on most kids' minds when they are at school is TO NOT LOOK STUPID.  They would rather die than to look stupid in front of their friends, peers, and teachers.
This is why so many kids like to sit in the back of the class (less chances of getting called on) and most would rather die than getting something wrong in class and oh my goodness....getting laughed at!!!! (Kill them now)

Teachers normally do a great job of getting kids to feel at ease and comfortable in class.  So how to help your kid avoid looking or feeling stupid?  PREPARATION!  The little time invested in this is well worth the effort, because:
Advantage#1 - There is nothing that boosts confidence more than a kid who has read up on and knows a little something on the topic before even walking into class.
Advantage #2 - More facility with the subject, therefore LESS time (or none at all) on homework....they can get it done in class!
Advantage #3 - Ask better & more insightful questions in class.

I dont know about you, but that seems worth it to me!

Easy, Practical Ways of Learning a Language

With so many students in Core, Extended and Immersion Language Programs, and with many parents and guardians who do not speak the language their child is learning, the task (including homework and assignments given) can seem especially daunting.  The teacher is there during the period, but what about afterwards?  The teacher isn’t always available to answer questions or to help the student learn how to pronounce the word, how to write it properly, or to oversee in which directions the accents go.

Well, here are some tips that you may find especially helpful:

1)      Recorded Books – this is a great resource where students can pick any book and not only have the visual of the book in front of them, but can listen to the words and how they are pronounced by hearing a recording of the book. 

Who is this good for?  This is good for students of any and all ages, especially those who are visual and auditory learners.

Where is this available?  Any local library should have these readily available; otherwise, I am quite certain you can easily have the library order it.

2)      Films, tv and documentaries - Watching tv, videos or youtube videos of films, documentaries and short videos in the new language, preferably ones with subtitles.

Who is this good for?  All students who spend any time online or watching movies (so pretty much everyone)

Where is this available?  Online, or at your video store (just make sure that when you’re checking the DVD jacket, it says that it has subtitles).  You may also have some luck finding these on itunes.

3)      Electronic Translators – These are such a great tool to look things up quickly and most of them will either show you the answer in the new language or will say the answer out for you.

Who is this good for?  Students who love playing with little gadgets.  I have seen many of my ESL students use these and it works amazingly well for them.

Where is this available?  Any electronics store.

4)      Internship in the country where the language is spoken – Students can easily score summer (or sometimes yearly) internships in a chosen country, sometimes even arranged by the school.

Who is this good for?  Anyone who wants to be completely immersed in the language and culture, and would like to gain some work experience at the same time.

Where is this available?  There are several school-based and non school-based internship programs available where students can exchange locations with the other student and their family, keeping costs in check.

5)      Study groups – Study groups are a great way to learn, to speak and to communicate with others who are of the new language or who are also trying to learn the language.  This is such a great way to create a supportive team environment and to really work together to get to know other people interested in the language like you are.

Who is this good for?  This is great for social learners, who like to interact with others with similar interests, and who want a supportive team environment.

Where is this available?  Best bet would be to ask your school guidance counsellor for help on this one, or even in putting you in touch with existing groups.

It’s All About Strategy

It’s called having stars in your eyes.

Some naivete.  Some youthfulness.  Some self-imposed pressure.

All normal.

During a recent trip to LA (land of movie stars and actors), as I was leaving a hip café, I came across a young man who asked me in a sheepish voice “Excuse me, can I ask you where the nearest bus station is?”  He looked young and his tone was very weak, almost to the point where I wanted to ask him if he was ok or if he had eaten in days.

Instead, this turned into one of the most incredible encounters of my so-far life.

After some conversation (an hour and a half worth) my friend (who was walking with me) and I discovered that this young man was not only not at all dangerous, but rather, an 18-year old kid from Macedonia who had lied to his parents about backpacking through the States, and instead got duped into giving some “actor” $5000 so he could stay with him, and get introduced to major studio execs so that he could “make it big in Hollywood.”  This kid had true stars in his eyes, and told me with every ounce of conviction that he is the most talented actor, singer and dancer in his hometown and that he just knew that if he could get in front of a studio exec, that he could hit it big.

Only problems were: he had no money, no contacts, and as this “actor friend” of his just kicked him out, he had no place to stay either.  He said he was perfectly fine sleeping on the street.  I wasn’t about to let that happen.  Instead, even though it was 2:30 in the morning, I sat this kid down and the teacher and life-coach in me kicked in.  I gave him some true lessons on life and how it’s perfectly wonderful (even essential) to have a dream and to go after it and take risks – the only part he was missing was the idea that he needed a strategy.  He had no idea how he was going to do anything.

He continued to talk about how he was going to have millions and live in a great mansion (Hugh Hefner-style).  Again, I had to remind him that true successes doesn’t actually happen overnight, but that he needs to plan and strategize how he was going to do something.

I really tried to say things in such a way as to not discourage this young man from having a dream, but I wanted to instil some reality and need for strategy into his young, impressionable mind. 

At the end of our conversation, he couldn’t stop saying how much I helped him, and how he just received so much information.  He also couldn’t stop talking about how he still had so much to learn, but how grateful he was that he met me.

I think I was the one who was grateful to have met him.

A recent conversation with a parent made me realize something: What sort of accountability is there on the part of a tutoring company to ensure results for their clients?

The woman mentioned that she had previously hired a tutoring company (which shall remain nameless), and not only were they unimpressed with the company, but the materials they gave her daughter to work on were far below her level, and did not further enhance the girl’s skills at all.  Furthermore, the parent was so dissatisfied with the results, that she did not even finish the program which was fully prepaid for in order to receive a discount.

Now, a lack of an improvement on the child’s behalf could be attributed to one or a combination of several factors. However, the fact remains that the company providing the tutoring service needed to ensure that they have completed their professional duty in ensuring that they did everything they could to at least ensure that the child had understood the information.  Otherwise, what good is your service and how do you justify your price tag?

One last point I wish to make on this.  Parents: Ensure there is a conversation between yourself, the student, and the company at the beginning of the transaction regarding the specific expectations and targets of the program, the tutoring methods, and the follow-up results.  Otherwise, how can one reasonably gauge success?



With so many tutoring companies using different methods, how do you ensure that your children are getting the most from the program that you enroll them in? How did you decide what companies to use ? Are you happy with the results?

1.  Have students use Spelling City to learn their spelling words, vocabulary words, or site words through games, practice, and quizzes.  Spelling City is a free resource for teachers.                                                 www.spellingcity.com

2. Create a game show for your students to participate in as a review for an upcoming assessment.  This site offers free templates.                                                 people.uncw.edu/ertzbergerj/ppt_games.html

3.  Students can track visitors to their blog, wiki, or website through Clustrmap.  This tool can be used for an ongoing geography lesson.                                                 www.clustrmap.com

4.  Have students create a daily or weekly live broadcast on Ustream about school news, new concepts or original ideas.                                                 www.ustream.tv

5.  Let students add free, copyright-free music to their presentations and movies through ccMixter.                                                 www.ccmixter.org

6.  Have students create a comic strip using Make Beliefs Comix.  Students can use this tool to show main idea, sequencing, predictions, and more!                                                 www.makebeliefscomix.com

7.  Introduce a new unit in reading with a vocabulary word cloud.  Have the students guess what the unit/story will be about. Set a purpose for learning.                                                 www.wordle.net

8.  Find out what your students know before a unit or how much they've learned after a unit through an online survey. Surveys give students a way to give feedback quickly.                                                  www.surveymonkey.com

9. Have students create a time line to have a visual representation.                                           www.readwritethink.org/materials/timeline

10.  User KerPoof to allow your students to illustrate their writing, create a movie, and more! 

                                                www.kerpoof.com

Making Learning Fun & Effective for All Types of Learners 

As many of you may know, students of all ages like to engage in and learn things they are actually interested in.  In other words, things that speak to their particular tastes, and that they are exposed to at a pace whereabouts they can actually digest the information.

Case in point: last year I started off one of my grade 8 French classes (who were, by the way, not very happy to be there) with an assignment that included them presenting in French, in order to practice their reading, writing and speaking skills.  After the moans and groans of unhappiness and dissatisfaction at yet another “boring project”, they asked “What does the topic have to be on….the Eiffel Tower, or some other Frenchie type of thing?”  I told them it could be on absolutely anything they desired and that they could set up the presentation any which way they wanted.  Students were excitedly asking if they could do it on this basketball star or this music icon – all answers were an emphatic “YES”.

Then the questions of “Can we use prezi, or skits with props, or music, or can we pre-record it?” – again all answers were met with a resounding “YES”.

The kids got excited because it was something they actually cared about, and we found a way for them to include the French component into it.

On top of that, I managed to stretch the unit out.  Not only did we do the seemingly boring verbs in both present and past tenses, but I gave them the general rule of how to correctly conjugate verbs and they were invited to choose their own verbs on which to practice.  The basketball lover picked verbs like “running”, “jumping”, “playing” and “passing”, while the music lover picked such verbs as “singing”, “dancing”, and “rapping”.  The part that I found the most striking was that not only were students so much more engaged in this project than on anything else I had seen, but because they were happier with what they were doing and because it came more easily to them, they were actually taking the time out to help one another on anything that the person next to them needed.

When it came time to presenting two months later, the presentations were all beyond what was even asked for in the main criteria.  Students had gone ahead and made other items to enhance their presentations, such as posters in French to promote this person or that, and a slogan to represent the kind of imaging their basketball star should get.  The presentations were imaginative, exciting, fun to listen to, and the students were so engaged!  They even asked if they could continue the entire year by learning a general concept and applying it to their own example.

One of the most important things we do for our children and our students, is to inspire them and engage them by doing things and choosing activities that speak to them!  Of course, it is important to continue to show them how to expand their horizons and learn things that are beyond their immediate interest points, but I believe that many of the curriculum and study items we provide them with already cover many of those things.  We should look more to their chosen topics, as these are the ones that are newer and really still seem to take many off-guard and get their excitement going. 

Why can’t we incorporate TED talks into English class, or invite real astronauts into the Science class via virtual connections with NASA, or learn about home economics and fashion through designer-made videos on YouTube?

I’ll admit that it is still difficult for a relatively old-school teacher like me to admit that things in the field of education are changing, but when I see how it engages the students and how, given certain technologies or new ways of thinking, we can tailor curriculum and instruction to meet the needs of individual learners, how can I say no?

As we are preparing kids for the next generation and for them to be great visionaries, we cannot ignore the growing trend toward technology and all the discoveries being made through research to push the envelope in education.  After all, isn’t it essential that our end goal for these young, intermediate, and senior minds to be able to learn in the most effective way possible?  And face it, how many times have you fallen asleep when an instructor was talking about something that was of no interest to you?

The Brain Is Our Most Powerful Tool….We Just Never Got The Instruction Manual

Something incredible that I learned from the study of excellence, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) is that the brain is the most powerful tool in the universe; it just depends on how well you use it. 

Just Ask Your Brain
See, what I have learned through NLP is that we are all looking for answers to certain questions and so it's the QUALITY of the questions we ask ourselves that are most important.  And the beauty of this finding is that it can be applied to any and all aspects of life….especially education.  Upon researching this further, I came to discover that our brains are so incredibly powerful, it's just that no one ever gave us the user's manual for it, so we haven’t been able to properly utilize it!

 

NLP…..Not Taught In Schools

Another thing is that NLP is not taught in schools, mainly because it is considered to be “too much” for kids.  Well, I disagree.  Students would benefit tremendously from any and the interesting thing is no educational institution teaches it, except for the Learn Today Program (www.learntoday.ca)  We not only explain to parents, guardians and students what it is, but we APPLY it as well…and this makes for a really amazing difference in our work and in the results shown for students’ performance (whatever age).

We are essentially, always searching for answers, and since our brain is going to do all this work anyway, we might as well be sure of the quality of the questions we are asking. 

Bear In Mind

Some things to bear in mind when asking your brain a question:
1) Give it detail and be specific.  It isn’t very helpful to just ask "Where can I get a job"...be specific and give details such as what are the things you would want in your perfect job?
2) Give it some time - your brain is searching for the answers for you, just give it some time to come up with the perfect answer.  Don’t like the answer, ask it something else.
3) Once you get your answer, jot it down so you don’t forget it.

Give Your Kids The Best

As many parents and guardians out there know, we MUST empower our kids, tweens, teens and young adults to ask themselves great questions and they will be utterly amazed at the responses.  We need to get them used to USING and APPLYING NLP in their studies.

For more information on what NLP is and how we use it, email me (Christine) at Christine@LearnToday.ca or call 416-522-3162 or come to our informal greet and chat on Saturday June 25th @ noon to the Second Cup at Bayview & Laureleaf.

When any student (youth or adult) enters the classroom, they need to ensure that they are prepared.  This is, in fact, one of the first things a teacher looks for when students are filing into the classroom, and is directly correlated to student success.  After all, how can you be successful at something when you’re not prepared??

Top 3 items a student needs to bring to class:

1)      Agenda – this is where they will actually COMMIT to writing down their homework, points to remember and assignment ideas when they are mentioned in class.  If a student just listens to what the teacher is saying but does not bring his/her agenda and write it down, the chances of them forgetting what was said 10 minutes later increases exponentially.

2)      Class materials – this could include anything from the course textbook, papers to write notes down on, and supplies to highlight and write important ideas.

3)      Thinking cap – being focused in class on the subject at hand (instead of wondering whom they’re going to ask to sign their yearbook or worrying about having plans for the weekend) is so important.  If a student is not focused and is not thinking about the subject matter at hand, they aren’t ready and they are not going to be nearly as effective in the classroom.

If a student can remember to bring these three vitally important items for every class, they are already ahead of the game!

Happy Learning!